Everyone always says stuff like why toss $$$ into an old LR, and I turn right back at em and say why did you toss 80K on your Chevy Suburban?? I've got maybe 15-20K invested in my 4 D2's and they're all PAID FOR vs my friends 80K Suburban that he's afraid to even get dirty.....

I got very well maintained D2's with great body panels, zero rust, and great interiors. Say an engine locks up one day. Heck spend 10K on the Chevy 4.8K conversion and move on. I'd still be no where near my friends 80K Suburban.

For me the RRC/D1/D2/D90/D110 and even the LR3 are all fine with me. I don't need to have a brand new shiny vehicle every 2 years. I prefer to be driving something unique, and I'm like the old saying "If it isn't broken, don't fix it" when it comes to what I like to drive. Sure a LR doesn't get 30MPG, but I hold all of their titles in my hand vs a bank, their paid for, and they're just as good if not better than the newer crap on the roads today. I guess I just truly bleed green I guess.

I say try to learn how to do as much yourself as possible, and if you truly love your LR anything can be fixed. It's just a matter of what your budget allows. When I see 99-04 D2's going for as little 1K complete with a dead engine you can't help but want it for parts, or to get it on the road again.

 

Well, you've got 1 head for 2,4,6,8 which is apparently fine.
$500 to pull the other head for 1,3,5,7?
$200 to do a new helicoil R&R??

You're way ahead of the game because you know the situation.

The above is the serious solution.

The more humorous "solution" would be to pull the spark plug wire off #3 (maybe #5, too!) and see if you've just got a limp-around vehicle, ranch cart, aircraft hangar ride, etc. You know, leave the old girl out in the pasture, but still use her for low-intensity, non-road duties.

 

If you are serious about selling it can you post some pictures. How much are you thinking you want for it? I have an 4.6 I am rebuilding that would fit nicely in the Disco!

 

I feel your pain- but not as severe as you. I've been battling some of the typical issues for a good while, but I've missed driving the Disco. I'm thinking rather than lose my butt in selling, I'll drive it into the ground and then get another one that might be a little better off in the first place.

In your case, if you have a good body and interior, I'd find a donor motor.

I was just about to give up, but going to stick it out for at least the winter and reevaluate. I'm fortunate in that the Disco is more or less an extra vehicle with my Jeep being the fall back (yep, I just said that- but not a fair comparison as the Jeep is a lot newer and I've had it from new) so most of the time it's just kinda funny to see how much of a POS the Disco is. But I still like it and can't seem to bring myself to give up... yet...

 

Glad to hear the newer Jeeps are reliable as both of my 05 TJ Rubicon/LJ Sport Wranglers with only 50-54K on them were falling apart worse than any of my old LR's and I bought both Jeeps from the dealer floor, so my "Heep" experience was just the exact opposite as your LR experience lol. My 4 D2's cost me the price of one Heep and I drive the hell out of em and even thru 4ft of water thanks to Hurricane Harvey with zero issues.

 

Yeah, we've had this conversation before and I was amazed again this morning when I changed the oil and rotated the tires on the JK at just how "new" it still feels after 5 and a half years and it just turned 70k miles. No rattles, no squeaks, and will still easily get 20mpg.

I just finished an 800 mile trip with it loaded down for a long weekend of dual sport riding with a rack with a tent and 2, 5 gal gas cans (all in well over 150 lbs) on top, and a dirt bike on a hitch carrier and a bunch of other crap inside. Keeping it at close to 80mph (and with the insane wind here had to even use 5th gear to keep speed for 100 miles on the way home) I still managed 13mpg. It doesn't use oil, doesn't leak a drop, and has been Toyota reliable. I've never even changed the spark plugs.

But... every time I get in the Disco, there is just something about it. I can't out it to words. I know I can't trust it, but I want to. I know it gets hideous Economy, but that doesn't really bother me. I really want to finish sorting out all the stupid little crap and do a trip like I did in the Jeep and see how it does. The Disco is easier to get in and out of, has a more practical interior layout, and is generally a bit more comfy and roomy. I keep feeling like I have a duplication of effort.

I think it's kinda like the KTM vs BMW battle. The GS is just so great on the road while the KTM mops up off road. The GS is a tractor for reliability and the KTM takes a bit more attention. In this case I look at the Orange bike as the Jeep for off road but the GS for reliability, and the Disco as the KTM for maintenance and the GS for comfort. Not too one ago I switched from a GS to a KTM and love the KTM like an obsessed stalker. I'm not getting that from the Disco, though, so the Jeep stays...

 

Yeah the TJ/LJ with it's 4.0L was something of a dinosaur I guess. Cheaply built, no ABS, no TC, and just both of mine cost more to fix than to drive which sucked. When I finally got the bugs out of em with tons of aftermarket parts I was bored to death with them. I rented an 08 JK (not a JKU) when my wife and I went to Maui, and it was nothing like my TJ/LJ's. The only thing I couldn't stand on our rental was the soft top. On the TJ/LJ it was very simple and easy to use. The soft top on the JK seemed very cheap and it just doesn't look as clean as the ones on the TJ/LJ, but most JK/JKU's are all hard tops now days with the freedom tops. I didn't mind the JK, but the earlier dashes were fugly lol. the 11 and up dashes were a huge improvement in the JK/JKU's for sure. However once the 11 & up models came out you were in used LR3/RRS/LR4 territory and for that kind of cash I'd rather have something much more refined and unique.

I may have just been lucky with all my LR purchases (mainly all off of CL), but not a single one of them has left me stranded, refused to start or work. 230K on my Kalahari and it feels tight with zero play in the steering wheel, and every single original part except for the cruise control works (LED Brake Bulbs). The 04 D2 S model I have right now as a build up project has a low Oil PSI issue under 1,000RPM, but it runs 172-186F, doesn't tick, knock, or have a single CEL on. I've tried to replace the front cover to fix the low Oil PSI issue, but that didn't solve it. Even that LR refuses to die on me!

 

A Landie is never dead, it becomes someone else's project or their donor truck.

 

I don't think I would trust any 4.6 block with an insert. There isn't a whole lot of material left in these blocks by the time they bore them out from the 3.5 liters they started with to the 4.6 they ended up as. By the time you drill out the headbolt location and tap it for the helicoil you are very close to the wall behind the liner. Torque the bolts or studs and you can make one of those nice little horizontal cracks behind the liner: JE Robison Service - Bosch Car Service Specialists ? the blog: The last word on Land Rover liner failures - I hope!. I don't agree with the statements regarding slipped liners made in this blog post but the picture shows how the walls crack.

 

I was under the impression that the 4.0-4.6 increase in displacement came from a longer stroke